'SILENCE CAN SPEAK A LOT'

'It's important to embrace the silence.'

Shantanu Maheshwari is a part of that group of actors that transitioned from television to films.

Shantanu, who appeared in a number of daily soaps and dance-based reality shows, got his big break with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi where he played Alia Bhatt's romantic interest.

But his journey to the big screen was never easy as he tried to break the preconceived notions about him as a dancer and choreographer.

Playing a Bengali dentist in love with a vampire in Netflix's Tooth Pari, the 32-year-old tells "It used to be a big problem to make people understand that one can be equally passionate about dancing as well as acting. Bagging the kind of roles I wanted to do was a struggle."

What drew you to Tooth Pari?

The story. I liked the whole universe of the vampire world that Pratim (Dasgupta, Writer-Director) sir has created.

This is very different from other vampire shows that we have seen in the Indian or global circuit.

What are the challenges of doing a fantasy romantic drama like this?